Take your mind off the big cities for a second, wouldn’t it be great if you could spend a nice vacation in an astonishing, but very peaceful place? Small towns have a certain charm that would make anyone fall in love with the atmosphere. Check out these 5 examples of great towns that you can check out for your next trip!
1. Hallstatt, Austria
Austria is definitely a wonderful country, visited by many, many tourist all the time, but most of them go for the obvious choices of destination, such as Vienna, Salzburg, Tyrol, Graz and so on. Hallstatt is a small town overlooking the beautiful Lake Hallstatt. It is considered the oldest still-inhabited village in Europe and it is a picturesque wonderland.
You can get around this small town by walking, since you can easily get from one end to another in half an hour and the town is actually car-free May to October, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Hallstatt-Dachstein Salzkammergut area has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List; the best things you can visit here are the Cultural Heritage Museum and Beinhaus (“Bone House”) in English, a very interesting ossuary, a fascinating and unusual place to see; see the salt caves, the ice caves, do an outing by boat, try hiking, rock climbing and discover as much of the town as you can.
2. Riomaggiore, Italy
Riomaggiore is one of the five Cinque Terre villages in the Italian region of Linguria. All of the five villages are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
You can come to this wonderful town to enjoy the beauty and the peace that surround it. Take your time to walk around the village, through the main street (Via Colombo), near the marina, past all of the boats and along the sea.
If you’re a daredevil, try cliff jumping into the Mediterranean. The water is perfectly clear-blue and this would be a thrilling experience. Riomaggiore also has an ancient stone castello, which would be a good idea to check out.
You can also visit the other four of the Cinque Terre villages, since getting from one to the another is really easy. You can read more about transportation in these wonderful villages here.
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3. Vang Vieng, Laos
Central Laos is where you will find this wonderful riverside town. This town and its surrounding are the real attraction here. The natural wonders are reason enough to book a vacation here. Check out Tham Poukham – the Blue Lagoon, Padeng cave and Ring cave, Xang Cave and Nang Oua Kham Cave.
You can try tubing, but be careful, the river is not the friendliest and there are usually many rocks all around, that can’t be seen that easily. The Lao-style steam sauna is also something that you shouldn’t miss. Try kayaking the river, Rock climbing, mountain biking and the Zipline.
4. Shirakawa-Go, Japan
Shirakawa-Go is a historic village in Gifu, Japan that was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 9, 1995.
The Shirakawa-gō Gasshōzukuri Village is actually a pretty popular attraction, and it consists of 112 Gassho-styled houses that have been there from historic times. Some are still inhabited, while others have been converted to museums, such as the Gassho-styled Life Museum and the Gassho-styled Jin Homura museum of art. You can look for offers for tours to book and enjoy this fascinating scenery. You can also see the Kaerikumo Castle, the Three Amo Waterfalls: Taka falls, Naka falls, and Ki falls and the Hakusui Falls that pours from the artificial Hakusui Lak
5. Colmar, France
Colmar is a beautifully quiet town in the Alsace region in France. There is a very complicated historic route behind this town, as the whole Alsace region was a subject of dispute between France and Germany during the World War II. You will encounter Germanic influences on your way in Colmar too.
Colmar’s old town is the main attraction if you come to Colmar. It has been very well preserved and taking a stroll through the fascinating streets is a great idea. Visit Maison des Tetes (House of the Heads), Maison Pfister (Pfister House), the Dominican Church, St. Martin Church, the Unterlinden Museum, the Bartholdi Museum and La petite Venise (Little Venice).
Explore the town and discover its beauty and try a boat trip on the canal from Little Venice.
No matter which town you choose for your next trip, you will definitely have an amazing vacation and a very relaxing and fascinating experience. These are the kind of destinations that will charm you with their paradoxically complex simplicity and will help you recharge your batteries. Look for the available flights to your destination and book a room in one of the hotels nearby with TripEconomy.com! Get the best offers and make the most out of your vacation!